Saturday, 25 January 2014

In Search of Harvey's Old

Whilst writing my previous post about dark beers, I was
acutely aware that I still haven’t sampled any Harvey’s
Old Ale this season (autumn/winter). This is a glaring omission in my usual
seasonal drinking patterns, and one which need rectifying pretty soon. Left
much longer the Old will disappear to be replaced by other Harvey’s seasonal brews.

Kiss, springs to mind as the next seasonal beer to appear;
definitely my least favourite amongst the brewery’s normally excellent repertoire,
although the 1859 Porter which follows, makes up for it. Old though should
still be available throughout February, and even into March, although by the
end of that month it will inevitably have petered out.

So where to tack down some Harvey’s
Old? The beer is sometimes seen in the free trade, but normally one has to
visit a Harvey’s tied pub in order
to sample it. There are two in the area; neither particularly close by, but
both can be reached by public transport, (well it wouldn’t be a good idea to
drive to them!).

The Brecknock Arms, at Bells Yew Green is about five minutes
walk from Frant station, (one stop after Tunbridge Wells on the line to Hastings).
However, the Hastings line has been
affected by the recent adverse weather, with a landslip at Wadhurst causing all
sorts of disruption. The other pub, the Two Brewers at Hadlow, is on the No. 7
bus route between Tonbridge and Maidstone, and whilst
this service is pretty good during the week, on Saturday evening and Sunday,
the two days when I would most likely want to go to the Two Brewers, buses are
few and far between.

Social media is an excellent source of information about
beers, and I've just noticed on their Facebook site that the excellent Royal Oak
in Tunbridge Wells has Harvey’s Old
on the bar. A pity then that I didn't see this earlier, as it’s a bit late in the evening now
to walk down to the station and jump on a train over to the Wells!

I’m still fairly confident that I’ll manage to track some
down before the winter is out, but why oh why aren’t local licensees a bit more
adventurous in what they choose to stock? With a few honourable exceptions,
such as the Royal Oak, Fuggles and the Bedford in Tunbridge Wells,most pubs in these parts shy away from
serving dark ales, in the mistaken belief they won’t sell. The trouble is they
won’t know until they try, and I wouldn’t mind betting that few, if any, have
actually tried. I know full well from when we had our off-licence that dark
beers fly out the door, particularly during the winter months.

Many licensees around here seem to think that karaoke
evenings and Sky Sports are what the punters want, then wonder why their pubs
are half empty. It really is high time they woke up and stepped out of their
comfort zone. There’s a whole horde of discerning drinkers out there who at the
moment are stuck at home, like me. Although we are all enjoying a wide variety
of bottled beers, many of us would rather be drinking and socialising with our
fellow enthusiasts. Beer definitely tastes better when enjoyed in the social
mix of a good pub, but present day entrants into the trade, (especially those
taking on Punch or Enterprise
tenancies), seem oblivious to this fact. Wake up and smell the coffee, or
should that be the malt and hops?

3 comments:

Thanks for the feedback, anonymous. I am aware of claims that "reversed-out" text is harder to read, and with this in mind, I was very careful to choose colours for both background and text which weren't too taxing on the eye. I am sorry to hear then that, despite this, you are finding it difficult to read.

The idea was a new look, for a new year, and I am very pleased with the contemporary appearance of the new layout. I have no plans to revert back to the old format at present.

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About Me

A fifty-something bloke, who's rapidly approaching sixty, and intends to grow old disgracefully! Married with one twenty-something son who shows no signs of wanting to leave home!
My interests are many and varied, and whilst beer (and the enjoyment of it) obviously features high on the list I also enjoy travelling (particularly when it involves searching out new beers to try), cycling and walks in the countryside.
I dabble a bit in gardening, which for the past few years has involved re-landscaping my garden. My other main interests though are music, especially 70's rock music, and history.
I have been a member of CAMRA since the mid 1970's and have edited a number of local branch magazines. I have also had published two, now sadly out of date, guides to Kent pubs.
For six years my wife and I also ran our own successful real-ale off-licence, which as well as selling cask ale to take away by the pint, offered one of the best selections of bottled beers in the south east.
Prior to taking on the shop, I was an accomplished home-brewer producing a wide range of full-mash beers. I still plan to get back into brewing, but I keep getting distracted by other projects.